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1.5.12-Kalevala-sage
Brick!club 1.5.12, Le désœvrement de M. Bamatabois Rarely if ever do I make my own posts, but it’s just about midnight in the United States of Pilferia/Texas and high time for Kalevala-Sage to deliver on hir promised gendersquick—and how could I not, for even through a contemporary lens I can’t forgive Hugo’s “''espèce neutre; hongres, parasites, nuls'',” “the neuter species of geldings, parasites, nothings!” The obvious implication behind this line and those surrounding it is that the fops and dandies of Montreuil-sur-mer are cruel and are cowardly and are not in any sense true “men,” utilizing the connotation of “man” invoked when, say, a father tells his son to be one…but still, that these sex-hungry idles (if we’re to believe the M. Boublil and his libretto, anyhow—more on that later) aren’t acknowledged as “masculine” provokes some investigation into the role of gender in Les Mis. I’m sure we can agree that Enjolras, as the fanbase has established at length, is a whole lot less cis than Bamatabois…though it’s Enjolras who gets the designation of “vir.” Not that I have any command of Latin, but vir, as contrasted with homo, is by far the manlier term: homo is manly only insofar as “mankind” is specifically male, but my nonexistent grasp of the Roman tongue (by which I mean, Google) would see vir used exclusively in reference to men, and not even boys, at that. But despite this narrative acknowledgement, Enjolras is hardly masculine as far as masculinity goes, especially in regards to his libido; meanwhile, Bamatabois strives to embody the macho standard of the time and is judged by his introductory paragraph to fall short. It’s a head-scratcher that deserves lengthier cogitation, but I’m not up to it right now…anything I produce will likely make as little sense as does the signification of pedestrians with spurs (aren’t spurs for…spurring?). Interestingly, the stage adaptation takes liberties with Bamatabois’s accusation of Fantine: really, he’s too nonchalant to even voice one, and though an unsavoury character he’s certainly more of a passerby than a villain. Though considering Bamatabois’s sexualization in combination with the musical’s Rule-63 factory foreman, one cocks an eyebrow at the reduction of Fantine’s story to “the men of France are all Scorpios with Penis rising”—appeal to feminists, perhaps? Or the dilution, in the hopes of garnering more contemporary relevance/interest, of Hugo’s initial political missive from “France is broken” to “the patriarchy is broken?” Wait, that would still appeal to feminists—ah well, I’m hardly in a position to protest after that Scorpio with Penis reference. Commentary Corvidfeathers A lot of emphasis is put n this chapter on how the dandies don’t do anything, don’t contribute anything. Enjolras is a personaification of revolutionary fervor and the desire to change things, violently and quickly. Maybe that’s what Hugo bases masculinity on? I think the sexualization of M. Bamatabois’s actions as well as the addition of the foreman in the musical is to drive the point home of Fantine’s plight a bit less subtly? Since it would be difficult to incorporate the pages of Hugo speechifying about society’s failings, it is easier to drive the point home if it is the specific maliciousness of individuals instead of casual dismissal and cruelty. Pilferingapples I can add very little to this— gender studies are WAY beyond my pay grade— except to note that, indeed, spurs are for spurring, and make walking much more difficult for those who might, say, be wearing them in between bouts of riding. They are also kinda loud. It is an extreme affectation if these guys are wearing them around town as a general Thing. …And now I wonder how many people these days actually know what geldings ARE, since I have heard plenty of people refer to all horses as either stallions or mares (or in extreme cases foals or colts). In the FMA, at least, it’s the only word in the slam on dandies making any direct reference to gender presentation— from there it’s right to parasites, which,uh…is at least nothing to do with gender?